Grapes to Glass: A Beginner's Guide to Winemaking

By: Sarah Recalde

When we sip a glass of wine, we rarely pause to consider the meticulous craftsmanship that

goes into each bottle. Whether white, red, or rosé, winemaking is a careful dance of precision,

timing, and age-old knowledge. Let's take a journey from vine to bottle and uncover the

fascinating winemaking process.

Red

Red wine production, in contrast, seeks to harness the power of the grape skins. After the harvest, the whole grape – skin included - is crushed and fermented. This maceration process extracts the color, tannins, and flavor compounds from the skins, giving red wine its signature depth and complexity. Once fermentation concludes, the juice is pressed off the skins and seeds, and then the wine is aged in barrels, often oak, to add further nuance and character.

White

White wine begins its life in the vineyard, where the ripeness of the grapes is crucial. Once harvested, the grapes are swiftly pressed to extract the juice, which is then allowed to settle. The clear juice is then transferred to a fermentation vessel, usually a stainless-steel vat or an oak barrel, where the magic of fermentation takes place. In this complex process, yeast converts sugar into alcohol, with the length and temperature of fermentation influencing the final wine's flavor. To further enhance its character, the wine is aged, often in oak barrels, for a period ranging from a few months to several years before bottling.

Rose

Rosé wines walk a delicate middle ground between white and red. Their iconic pink hue comes from a brief encounter with the grape skins. Postharvest, the crushed grapes are allowed a short skin contact period, usually 2-24 hours. Then, much like white wine, the skins are removed, and the juice undergoes fermentation. Rosés generally skip the aging process, heading straight to the bottle to retain their lively fruit flavors and freshness.